Amateur Critics Poem by Francis Duggan

The literary critics are well paid for others literary works to criticize
Though they themselves seldom do win a literary prize
And though as writers few critics ever do make the grade
At least for their criticisms they do get paid.

'Tis the unpaid literary critics I do wonder about
Are they people who as writers their own worth do doubt
Amateur writers who put fellow amateur writers down
A few of their type live in every town.

For some 'tis easier to criticize than it is to praise
The hopes of the not so confident they never raise
They have not learned than saying something cruel better not say anything at all
Suppose they cannot help it if in their ways they are small.

The professional literary critics though not a great asset to the Wordsmith trade
At least for their work do get very well paid
But those amateur critics who use their words as fuel
For putting down of others how can they be so cruel?